Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; drama / comedy, USA, 1967; D: Stanley Kramer, S: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, Cecil Kellaway, Beah Richards

San Francisco. The middle-aged, upper class and seemingly open minded couple Matt and Christine are very surprised when their 23-year old daughter Joanna announces that she is planning to get married for Dr. John Prentice - an African American. Christine is at first a little bit confused, but she accepts the situation very quickly, while Matt is contemplating if he should give them his blessings or not. During a fancy dinner, John's parents show up who also doubt if a marriage between an white woman and a black man can work. Although not entirely happy with the situation, Matt still decides to give them his blessings and accepts John as a new member of his family.

Humorous drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is less known for outstanding quality as for two inside facts - it was the first Hollywood film featuring a then "controversial" relationship between a white woman and a black man, and the last film in which the brilliant actor Spencer Tracy appeared - but as a whole it's still executed eloquent and unpretentious. The Oscar for best screenplay is justified (although some complained that the story ended right there where she should have just started) but the one for Katharine Hepburn for best actress was awarded only semi-justified, without a really good reason, since that year Anne Bancroft delivered a better performance in the classic "The Graduate". It's an interesting fable about false prejudice/moral and real values - interestingly enough, Sydney Poitier's intelligent character is presented as a prefect son in law, making the only excuse for the parents not to like him his skin color - enfolded in a social commentary about why some boundaries are made, a good, but "safe" and standard achievement, with some biting dialogues (John replies to his father, who wants to stop the marriage, that he doesn't owe him anything because "it's a duty for every parent to take care for the children he got"; Matt says to the "colorful" couple what he thinks: "you're wrong, you're as wrong as you can be. I admit that I hadn't considered it, hadn't even thought about it, but I know exactly how he feels about her", but also adds "As for you two and the problems you're going to have, they seem almost unimaginable, but you'll have no problem with me"), and the rhythm and the mood are nicely done.

Grade:++

Rose of Versailles

Versailles no Bara / Lady Oscar; animated historical romantic adventure drama series, Japan, 1979; D: Osamu Dezaki, Tadao Nagahama, S: Reiko Tajima, Yu Mizushima, Hisahi Katsuda, Miyuki Ueda

France, 1755. The 6th daughter of the family Jarjayes was born, called Oscar Francois. But since her father as a member of the royal guard eagerly wanted a son to continue his job, he decided to raise Oscar as a boy. He taught her how to fence and sent her to Versailles to protect Marie Antoinette, together with Andre, Oscar's friend since her childhood. There are is a lot of plotting in the court, from Jeanne de Valois de la Motte and Madame du Bary, the mistress of Louis XV, and Oscar also fell in love with Hans-Axel von Fersen but decided to forget about him since Antoinette already loved him. With time, Andre fell in love with Oscar, but decided not to tell anything. They went to the army and in 1789, when the French revolution started, decided to help the poor people instead of the royal family. Before Andre gets killed, Oscar realises she always loved him, and dies herself in a battle.

Like the melancholic animes "Lady Georgie", "Queen Millennia" and "Sailor Moon", "Rose of Versailles" - somewhere translated as "Lady Oscar" - also enjoys a legendary reputation and is pure nostalgia. The story in the backdrop of French revolution is sober, bitter-sweet and deprived of sweetish moments, turning sometimes even dry, but unlike other animated achievements, "Rose of Versailles" contains some kind of a motherly care for their characters, especially for the heroine Oscar who is without precedent by her androgyny in the genre: as a fictional personality, the only one in the story populated by real historical figures, she is beautiful and feminine, but at the same time also always dressed in men's clothes, acting tough and strong, which creates interesting exceptions - when she wears a dress for the first time in her life in a fancy ball, she runs away from the room all confused in her newly found female side. In another episode Andre throws her by force on bed and rips her uniform, but then he remembers she is his superior so he stops, apologises and leaves, while Oscar starts crying.

There are also nice details present (rain falling over a fountain) and the intrigues in 18th Century Versailles were reconstructed to seem like they were happening today - the subplot of the double crossing affair by Jeanne de Valois de la Motte, who dressed a prostitute as Marie Antoinette to trick cardinal Rohan into thinking that the queen likes him and bought an expensive necklace on Antoinette's account, and who was later led to a court where she said that Antoinette was a lesbian, as exaggerated as it seems, actually did happen. The sequence of Oscar and Andre's "sex" in episode 43 where they are surrounded by fireflies in the forest at night is as genius as the one in "His and Her Circumstances", while the music in episode 44 in Oscar's imagination, where she is riding together with Andre by the beach, brought the pseudo gay sensibility to the esoteric heights. Something like the anime "Rose of Versailles" probably happened just once and never again.

Grade:+++

Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted; Drama, USA, 1999; D: James Mangold, S: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeffrey Tambor

In '68 Susanna Kaysen is 18 years old and suffers from hallucinations. Her parents send her to a private mental institution, Clyamore. She is sharing a room with a girl called Georgina, but soon her attention is preoccupied by the wild Lisa. When the doctors diagnose her with borderline personality disorder and promiscuity, Susanna decides to run away from the clinic and become friends with Lisa. The two of them manage to escape and hide in the home of a former patient, Daisy. When Daisy commits suicide, Lisa and Susanna once again end up in the clinic. Susanna is diagnosed as healthy and released home.

After the crime film "Copland", director James Mangold accomplished a big success with the biographical drama "Girl, Interrupted", based on the experiences of the real life Susanna Kaysen. Formally seen, it's an ambitious, subtle drama that honestly portrays the life in the mental institution and symbolically talks about repression, but a step behind similar "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" because of the monotone story and only solid directing skills that don't know how to sustain the viewer's interest, and a few truly brilliant moments would have been welcomed. As a whole, it's a fluid achievement, but writing and creating an excellent film isn't always as simple as it (sometimes) seems. The mood is too depressive, but it's best moments are contained in it, for instance, when the young girl Daisy commits suicide because her father raped her. Lisa is also among the interesting characters - in one scene she notices a girl is secretly listening in front of Susanna's door and asks her what she is doing. When she says: "Nothing" Lisa replies: "Then do nothing in your own room" - and she is impressively played by Angelina Jolie, but not as impressive enough to justify the fact that she was rewarded with a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best supporting actress. In fact, her overemphasised cockiness and smart ass behavior seem annoying, while Brittany Murphy succeeded in so much more in her role as Daisy which was so much smaller.

Grade:++

Taste of Cherry

Ta'm e guilass; drama, Iran / France, 1997; D: Abbas Kiarostami, S: Homayon Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Safar Ali Moradi
Teheran. Mr. Badii is driving in a car through the streets. He picks up a teenager serving the army and offers him a profitable, but strange job. He drives him up to an isolated hill and explain his job: he should come the next morning to the hole he dug and either help him get up of bury him if he's dead. The youngster gets scared and runs away. Continuing his search, Badii meets an Afghan worker and offers him the same job, explaining he is planning to commit suicide. The man also refuses to do the job due to religious objections. Finally, Badii finds an old Turkish man, Bagheri, who agrees to do the job, but during the ride he explains to him that there are many wonderful things in life worth living for. Confused, Badii goes back to his home. A taxi drives him up to the hole in the middle of a rainy night, and lies in it, thinking. The film ends with the director Kiarostami shooting the film.

Winner of the Golden Palm in Cannes, "Taste of Cherry" is a beautiful one-note film, a minimalistic drama reduced to its core message and nothing more that will be loved by those who enjoy films from directors like Jarmusch or Kaurismaki, with a story so touching, so realistic and true that it seems like a quiet therapy from the loud, dumb, obnoxious mainstream/films that really seem off when compared to capturing reality. Like most films from Abbas Kiarostami, "Cherry" is also slow and quiet, and some could find it even inert, but thanks to a tight rhythm and focused point it manages to avoid being monotone, and its humor is rather refreshing. For instance, in the opening shots the main hero Badii is driving a car through the town and picks up a teenage soldier of Kurdish roots. They talk about trivial stuff during their ride for almost 15 minutes, but then Badii offers him a strange, but well payed job and drives him of to an isolated hill. He stops and shows him a hole, saying his job is to come tomorrow morning at this location and call his name twice, on which he will either response and he can help him get up, or if he doesn't respond he should berry him with 20 shovels of earth. Either way he will be payed 200.000 Toman. Although Badii is persuading him to do so, the youngster eventually runs away from the car downhill. Obviously, the theme about a man who wants to commit suicide is sharp and has spark, but as a whole the film is also an essay about the search for a reason to live and the monologue from the old Turkish man near the end about the beauty of life is an amazing lyrical poetry. Rarely did such a calm, introverted, slow plot blossom into such an interesting flower like "Taste of Cherry", a film that gave his soul for every depressed person in the world.

Grade:+++

Super Mario Bros.: Peach Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen

Super Mario Bros.: Peach Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen; Animated fantastic comedy, Japan, 1986; D: Masami Hata, S: Toru Furuya, Yu Mizushima, Mami Yamase, Akiko Wada, Kikuchi Masami

One evening, as Mario was playing a Video game up until late at night, a shot of Princess Peach was shown on his screen. While running away from flying turtles, she jumped outside of the TV into the real world, and fell on Mario. He falls instantly in love with her, but Koopa, a giant reptile, also exits the TV and kidnaps the Princess. The next morning Luigi didn't believe Mario a word he said and they continued their business in a store as usual. But a strange dog showed up and lured them into a pipe, which led them to a strange world of Mushroom kingdom. An old man explains that the Princess is being held by Koopa, so the two of them decide to rescue her. On their long journey, together with the dog, they get captured by Koopa's henchmen but manage to get away, all the while Luigi is only interested in gold. With a help of a flying ship, they enter Koopa's castle, just as he was about to marry the Princess. Using his special powers; a star, a mushroom and a flower, at once, Mario was able to beat Koopa. The dog turned into prince Haru, Princess Peach' lover, while Mario and Luigi returned home with a lot of gold.

It's not hard to determine that the unknown, 60 minutes long anime film "Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission of Saving Princess Peach" is the best (animated) achievement in which the heroes Mario and Luigi, from the popular Video game, ever appeared. The Japanese authors have a different style of thinking than the American ones, thus in this lost film they didn't offer anything that the Americans wouldn't either, but they made it with a lot more style, spirit and devotion, making their original Mario, Luigi and especially the unbelievably charming and cute Princess more "alive" than they were in the animated series "Super Mario Bros. Super Show", Super Mario World" and "Super Mario Bros. 3" (except in episodes "Kootie Pie Rocks", "7 Continents for 7 Koopas" and "Reign Storm" from the latter). The exposition is especially amusing, showing how Mario can't believe his eyes when a handsome Princess falls from his TV right into his arms, and when Koopa brings her back in, the title on the screen shows up, saying: "Game Over". One of the missteps the movie made was to become bizarre without limits in portraying the surreal world, and the greedy Luigi in this version seems to have came from a totally different film, but the story is full of funny and vital layers (when they hear they are going to get a reward if they save the Princess Mario and Luigi start cheerfully dancing but Mario suddenly stops because of sadness while Luigi continues; during their stay in prison Mario and the dog manage to escape through a tunnel while Luigi gets stuck thanks to his bag full of gold), temporarily without any serious competition among the Super Mario adaptations, and in the sequence in which the hero is sadly dreaming that he is dancing with the Princess, even a small dramatic touch can be found.

Grade:++

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros.; fantasy / comedy, USA, 1993; D: Rocky Morton, Annabel Jankel, S: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Samantha Mathis, Fisher Stevens, Richard Edson, Fiona Shaw, Dana Kaminski, Lance Henriksen

Brooklyn. Mario and Luigi are two plumbers who are going through tough times. When Luigi falls in love with Daisy, an archaeologist, she gets kidnapped by two shady people. Mario and Luigi follow them, passing through a wall into a next dimension, Dino-Hattan, where people whose ancestors were Dinosaurs are ruled by an evil dictator, Koopa. He wants to use Daisy's part of a meteorite to merge the two dimensions and conquer Earth. He also dethroned the former king and de-evolved him into fungus. Luckily, Mario and Luigi save Daisy and use special de-evolution guns that transform Koopa into slime. Then they go back to Brooklyn.

If there was ever a need for a popular video game adaptation to get a better treatment than it got from Hollywood, then it was the 1993 "Super Mario Bros." film. Unfortunately, by today's standards, the only truly enchanting element from that film that remained is the magical song "Almost Unreal" by Roxette, but almost every other ingredient in it is problematic. The authors crafted a "Frankenstein"-like mishmash by inserting the kid friendly concept into the world of "Dark City", and thus the story is cheating the fans because it doesn't even have 10 % in common with the original Super Mario storyline (Luigi doesn't have a moustache; Koopa is a human instead of a giant reptile; the magic blocks and the super powers were eliminated...), through the too dark mood considered it is based on a child's game, illogical plot holes, and bizarre ideas (curiously, towards the end, a good one shows up, where the World Trade Center is replaced by Koopa's two towers during the merging of the two dimensions), and a confusing showdown. Already from the opening where a baby hatches from an egg in a church does the movie show signs of madness of its screenwriters. However, if you watch the film with an open mind, it actually can be a guilty pleasure.

Here and there a few amusing jokes appear, mostly playing in the "normal" part in Brooklyn, whereas Bob Hoskins is pretty funny as Mario: in one scene later on, he tries to flirt with Big Bertha, but she just slams him and he falls on the ground—when Luigi helps him get up, he says: "She is just shy". And the scene where Mario and Luigi are in the elevator and music from "Dr. Zhivago" is playing in the background can really crack one up. Also, here and there the charming Dana Kaminski manages to show her talent in her small role as Mario's girlfriend, before she unfortunately abandoned her career as an actress. The Super Mario concept was always popular because at its core lies an archetype of two average guys becoming heroes who save a princess in a foreign land where everyone respects them, and it would have served as solid purpose in any story. "Super Mario Bros." is a chaotic, bizarre mess with fast pace and a lot of misfire jokes and action, and it can pass as an absolutely necessary film of the video game—yet if there was ever a faithful adaptation of the franchise, it would have been forgotten in a flash. Those who think that a movie adaptation cannot be made out of this video game should again watch "7 Continents for 7 Koopas" and "Saving Princess Peach" for a lesson or two. However, the scene where Mario and Koopa are slowly, little by little, "disintegrating" into another dimension is almost expressionistic, which shows that even this wrong "Mario" approach had its hidden moments of inspiration.

Grade:+

The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice; drama / thriller, USA, 1981; D: Bob Rafelson, S: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan, William Traylor, Anjelica Huston

USA during the Great Depression. Frank, a small time crook, stops at a rural diner for a meal, but his partner seemingly leaves with his money. Nick, the owner of the diner, has pity with him and gives him the meal for free. Frank stays to work there and is soon having an affair with Cora, Nick's wife. They decide to kill Nick in order to start a new life: in their first attempt Nick ends up in hospital with a bandage over his head but survives. But in the second attempt they throw him inside the car down the cliff. The local prosecutor accuses them of murder, but their lawyer Mr. Katz manages to free them of any charge. Back in the diner, Frank is bored and has an affair with Madge, a worker in a circus. Just as Cora announces that she is pregnant and he realizes he loves only her, she dies in a car accident.

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a solid remake and adaptation of the same novel, but a one that disappointed in it's overstretched running time and eclectical pace, making him seem outdated compared to today's standards, but even compared to the past standards when placed with the brilliant Italian adaptation "Ossessione" from '42, and even the three timid sex scenes that surprisingly shocked the audience during it's premiere seem mild. Jack Nicholson is excellent in his role as Frank, but he is one of the only few virtues of this film. The attraction between Frank and Cora is non existent since it's shown only in ellipses, while Cora's role as Femme Fatale is unconvincing and shaky. The most subtle job done by director Bob Rafelson was to portray the troublesome, hard times in America during the Great Depression that could have caused those kind of criminal acts in order for people to survive, and also to show the confusing emotional state of Frank and Cora after they got away with murder of Nick. But even in that last third of the film the authors forced unnecessary subplots, one involving Anjelica Huston, that were to short to be elaborate and sufficient enough. Some points raised are valid, and some scenes are very good, like the one where Frank and Cora can't resist not to have intercourse on grass after they killed Nick in his car, but Rafelson directed the film without any true passion or spark. It seems the postman rang twice because nobody heard him the first time around.

Grade:++

Mamma Roma

Mamma Roma; drama, Italy, 1962; D: Pier Paolo Pasolini, S: Anna Magnani, Ettore Garofalo, Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini, Luisa Loiano, Paolo Volponi, Luicana Gonini

The middle-aged prostitute Mamma Roma got "fired" after her pimp Carmine got married. That gives her the chance to move to a better part of Rome with her 17-year old son Ettore and get a new job as a fruit seller. But one day Carmine drops by at her apartment and asks her to "earn" 200,000 Lire in 10 days, if possible, but she refuses. At the same time, Ettore fell in love with the girl Bruna, but the only thing she loves is money. Since he abandoned his job as a waiter, Ettore starts stealing to get money for her, eventually ending in madhouse and dying. His mother is devastated when she finds out about that.

"Mamma Roma", Pier Paolo Pasolini's second feature film, seems like a sequel from his brilliantly realistic debut "Accattone". Unlike some of his extreme and controversial films without compromise, "Mamma Roma" is, despite being existential and nihilistic, rather mild, gentle and introverted, up to the point that some viewers during the film's premiere didn't figure out the title heroine was actually a prostitute. The film unravels into a essay about the relationship between mother prostitute and son, giving equal screen time to both of them, and also making it clear that some events are bound to repeat each other in endless circle of fate (for instance, Ettore, the son, falls in love with a girl who only likes money, foreshadowing that she will become a prostitute herself). Also, the shot of a church dome seen through the window is repeated about 5 times during the film, serving as a symbol of sacrifice, humanity and unreached class ideals. But the despite it's subtlety, the movie as a whole isn't completely satisfying, maybe because of overemphasised symbols about the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, obvious in the finale where Ettore is sick, tied on a bed like on a cross. The other flaw is the lack of attractions, although some scenes are excellent, like the long 4 minute take in which Mamma Roma is walking on the streets at night and talking with people, who come and go, about how she had to "fool around" with an old man when she was 14 years old.

Grade:++

Accattone

Accattone; drama, Italy, 1961; D: Pier Paolo Pasolini, S: Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini, Franca Pasut, Paola Guidi

Rome. Vittorio Accattone never worked in his entire life. He is a pimp, and all the money is earned from his prostitute Maddalena. The only thing he ever does is partying with his fellow colleagues. But one day Maddalena gets beaten up from Accattone's rivals so she decides to report to the police and quit her job. Accattone is suddenly left without an income so he decides to beg for some money from his former wife, but she refuses. When he meets a blond girl, Stella, he starts flirting with her, planning to employ her as his new prostitute. But then he really falls in love with her and abandons the idea. In order to support her, for the first time in his life he gets a job, but quits because he can't handle the pressure. In the end he becomes a thief and dies in an accident.

With his directorial debut in form of loose Italian Neorealism and based on his own novel, Pier Paolo Pasolini already in the start created a commotion and surprised because he chose a pimp for his main hero, but "Accattone" is still an excellent achievement that was made in the spirit of De Sica, Fellini and Rossellini and marked the later iconography of the author. That's mostly refers to the "loose" acting of unprofessional actors, some deliberately improvised (Accattone's colleague is so hungry he bites a flower) or artificial parts, and religious symbolism that's mixing profane and sacral in the title hero who goes through a transformation from a bad guy into a honest martyr (he never worked in his entire life, but in order to prevent that his new girlfriend doesn't become a prostitute he finds a job for the first time in his life). The composition of the story and the characters (Stella can't resist not to stare at two prostitutes on the street) is better than Pasolini's similar film "Mamma Roma", while the controversy back in those times today seems subversive and honest.

Grade:+++

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind; historical drama, USA, 1939; D: Victor Fleming, S: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Barbara O'Neil, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Rutherford

Tara, Georgia, 1861. Scarlett O'Hara is the eldest of three daughters of Irish immigrants. It seems she is the most popular girl in area since every guy adores her, except Ashley Wilkes who doesn't even notice her. She falls in love with him, but is surprised when she hears he is going to marry Melanie. When the American Civil War starts, Ashley goes to fight. In order to always be near Melanie, in case he returns to her, Scarlett volunteers as a nurse in Atlanta. When the Union army marches in, the cynical playboy Rhett Butler evacuates them to safety. Back home at Tara, Scarlett is shocked to find out her mother died, her father became mad, and that everything was robbed by the soldiers. Ashley finally returns from the war to Melanie, while Scarlett marries the rich Frank in order to pay the tax for the plantage. After Frank gets killed, she decides to marry Rhett. They always argue, because Rhett is aware she is still in love with Ashley. They have a daughter, but she dies in an accident. Rhett can't stand Scarlett's arrogance, so he leaves her. Finally, she realizes she has been in love with him all the time.

Monumental, four hours long drama, winner of numerous awards, "Gone with the Wind" became the higest grossing movie of the century—over 200,000,000 tickets were sold at the North American box office, which was more than the entire population of the country at that time, a record still held till this day—and the critics also placed it as a great film. It is an interesting (anti) romantic drama with a good style that fills its long story with nice little details, making it more appealing, from the first scene where a kid is chasing after a turkey up to the final shot in which Scarlett O'Hara stays alone, watching the the Sun setting—and her love disappearing. The whole story is one giant allegory about the curse of people who always want those things they cannot have—Scarlett was loved by every man around, but she just wanted Ashley who never much cared for her—but also a transformation of the heroine from a rich lady to a poor conniver, yet she never changed in one thing, in her spoiled nature, making her a tragic figure. The highlights are humorous: for instance, when Scarlett pretends that she is crying in order to prevent Ashley from leaving or when Rhett masks a wounded Ashley as a drunk, in order to smuggle him pass the soldiers.

And despite the fact that the whole movie is rather conventional and standard, it still seems intriguing and true in portraying some human characteristics. Rhett Butler, played brilliantly by Clark Gable, is truly an interesting character, a womanizer who in the end announces to his favorite prostitute that he will not be able to see her ever again because he decided to become a respectable father, but Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara simply steals the show—she is clever, naughty and confused, not even ashamed, for instance, to marry any guy as soon as possible in panic, after her beloved Ashley left to fight in the war. Still, the movie is not perfect—true, it is excellent, but still a little bit overrated. At some parts it looks just like a long soap opera, especially in the last hour which is full of problematic, sentimental and melodramatic elements (the daughter dying from a fall from a pony). But many hate the film just because everyone else loves it, and that is not an argument. "Gone with the Wind" is a big film, but it also did not forget to make his characters and their emotions big: the final scene ("Tomorrow is another day...") is iconic precisely because it tells that, even though Scarlett lost everything, as long as she is alive, her story goes on, which was seen as a commentary on humanity as a whole.

Grade:+++